Armenian opposition lashes out at government’s program

YEREVAN, May 21. / ARKA /. On Monday prime minister Tigran Sargsyan presented his government’s plan of actions for 2013-2017 to parliament’s consideration. 

The prime minister had to answer a long string of questions from MPs. Today the parliament continued debates over the program with opposition MPs lashing out at it again.

Hrant Bagratian from the Armenian National Congress argued that the document submitted by the government was not a program ‘because it says nothing about the government’s future actions.” He said the government had to say how it was going to generate investments. He accused the government of failing its previous five-year program.   

“In five years 225,000 Armenians emigrated, the GDP growth was 6%, while the world average was 13%,’ he said. Bagratian proposed solutions to a number of problems  saying it is necessary to establish order in the mining sector, industry, aviation and  to enforce tax free system.

Aleksandr Arzumanian from the Free Democrats party said the new government’s program is the extension of the old one that looks like an election manifesto. "We would like to see a more clear-cut program, with precise actions and projected results. This program says the government will create 100 thousand new jobs, but it says nothing about how they will be created," he said, adding that he would vote against the program.

Aram Manukyan from the Armenian National Congress reminded Tigran Sargsyan of his promises to fight against monopolies, to bring the oligarchs to the tax field, but did nothing. “You have declared fight against corruption - a major challenge facing the government, but did nothing to confront it ,” he said.

Khachatur Kokobelyan from Free Democrats party said the government should recall he program in order to identify all the problems, to offer solutions and only then to bring it to parliament.

"The people demand quick actions to improve the situation, but this program is no different from the previous one. Everything is set out beautifully, but there is not a line of concrete actions,” he said.

The new Armenian government was formed on May 8. Earlier chief of the government staff. Vache Gabrielian, said the government’s plan of actions will focus on five major directions- safe and secure Armenia, creation of new jobs with far wages, free and just Armenia, human capital and institutional development.

The plan of actions calls also for doubling the minimum wage, cutting poverty rate by 8-10 percent a year, creation of 100,000 new jobs and securing growth in pensions and increasing the share of taxes in the overall GDP..-0-